Family Box: 1989 Toyota Van Wagon
This next car comes as a tip from Matt C who writes; Remember the 1980s Japanese vans with the engine between the driver and the middle seat? Maybe not, but for $4000, you can remind the whole neighborhood of this era of oddities. This format quickly gave way to the easier to service and better riding conventional FWD layout, making this quite a period piece. Find this 1989 Toyota Van Wagon offered for $4000 in Roswell, GA via craigslist.
From the seller:
1989 Toyota Van Wagon
condition: good
cylinders: 4 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 216000
paint color: blue
size: full-size
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
type: mini-van
FOR SALE BY ORIGINAL OWNER my 1989 Toyota Van Wagon, 216K miles, 2 Wheel Drive, 4-Cylinder, 2.2 liter, Electronic Fuel Ignition, 4 Speed Automatic Overdrive Transmission, Front and Rear A/C works, intermittent wipers, new front tires, plenty rear tire tread, full size spare, carries up to 7 passengers, good condition, runs well, great for daily driver, work or short haul, easy on fuel, rated 21 City/23 Highway, have original window sticker, manual and maintenance records.Asking $4000 or Best Reasonable Offer, no low ballers, available if For Sale Ad is up, will not respond to blind offers or requests about availability, serious inquiries only.
See a better way to drive a box? tips@dailyturismo.com
I have owned two of these in my car owning life. A 1987 4wd 5spd LE(stock) and an 87′ 4wd 5spd cargo van I restored/modded. In 4wd/5spd trim they use a real 2 spd transfer case and are surprisingly capable off road, with ground clearance being their achilles heal. That 4Y-E (I think) 2.2 push rod motor that sat on it’s side was as reliable as a stone hammer; a similar unit was used in toyota fork lifts. As long as you take care of the cooling system these will cruise at 70-75mph all day long. Not a sports car, but felt like one after driving a stock Delica L300(had one of each in recent history). LE models were packed with technology, including a fridge/ice box (with trays), front/rear AC, CC, PW, PL, and dual sunroofs (not available w/4wd models). Fold the seats down and fit a 4×8 sheet of plywood in, yep that big. If you own one get ready to scour salvage yards anytime one pops up for small sensors, etc that are NLA.
Odd damage on the steering wheel and column. I guess he was really into aggressive horn blowing
I owned one of these in the mid 90’s in Maui. Great vehicle. Loved it. All my windsurf and surf gear easiLy tossed in the back. Mine was silver with a 5-speed. When owning it and super familiar with how it drove, I got to drive a friend’s that was identical except it had an automatic. Holy moly was the automatic a complete dog. Such a huge difference. Whatever the auto transmission they used, it sapped whatever pep it had completely out of the thing.